Dietary β-carotene, vitamin C and E intake and breast cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)

G. Nagel (1) , J. Linseisen (2) , C. H. Gils (3) , P. H. Peeters (3) , M. C. Boutron-Ruault (4, 5) , F. Clavel-Chapelon (4, 5) , I. Romieu (4, 5) , A. Tjønneland (6) , A. Olsen (6) , N. Roswall (6) , P. M. Witt (7) , K. Overvad (8) , S. Rohrmann (2) , R. Kaaks (2) , D. Drogan (9) , H. Boeing (9) , A. Trichopoulou (10) , V. Stratigakou (10) , D. Zylis (10) , D. Engeset (11) , E. Lund (11) , G. Skeie (11) , F. Berrino (12) , S. Grioni (12) , A. Mattiello (13) , G. Masala (14) , R. Tumino (15) , R. Zanetti (16) , M. M. Ros (17, 18) , H. B. Bueno-De-Mesquita (17) , E. Ardanaz (19) , M. J. Sánchez (20) , J. M. Huerta (21) , P. Amiano (22) , L. Rodríguez (23) , J. Manjer (24) , E. Wirfält (25) , P. Lenner (26) , G. Hallmans (27) , E. A. Spencer (28) , T. J. Key (28) , S. Bingham (29) , K. T. Khaw (30) , S. Rinaldi (31) , N. Slimani (31) , P. Boffetta (31) , V. Gallo (32) , T. Norat (32) , E. Riboli (32)

1 Institute of Epidemiology
2 Department Cancer Epidemiology
3 Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care
4 INSERM - Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale
5 IGR - Institut Gustave Roussy
6 Diet, Cancer and Health, Danish Cancer Society
7 Department of Oncology, Aalborg Hospital
8 Department of Clinical Epidemiology [Aarhus]
9 Department of Epidemiology
10 Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology
11 Institute of Community Medicine
12 Department of Preventive and Predictive Medicine
13 University of Naples Federico II = Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II
14 Molecular and Nutritional Epidemiology Unit
15 Civile - M.P.Arezzo Hospital
16 Piedmont Cancer Registry-CPO
17 RIVM - National Institute for Public Health and the Environment [Bilthoven]
18 Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and HTA
19 Public Health Institute of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, and CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP)
20 Andalusian School of Public Health [Granada]
21 CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública and Servicio de Epidemiología (CIBERESP)
22 Public Health Division of Gipuzkoa, Basque Government, CIBER en Salud Pública
23 Public Health and Participation Directorate
24 Department of Surgery
25 Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö and Nutrition Epidemiology
26 Department of Radiation Sciences, Oncology
27 Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Nutritional Research
28 Epidemiology Unit, Cancer Research UK
29 MRC Dunn Human Nutrition Unit and Department of Public Health and Primary Care
30 Clinical Gerontology Unit
31 IACR - International Agency for Cancer Research
32 Division of Epidemiology, Public Health and Primary Care

So far, studies on dietary antioxidant intake, including β-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E, and breast cancer risk are inconclusive. Thus, we addressed this question in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. During a median follow-up time of 8.8 years, 7,502 primary invasive breast cancer cases were identified. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). All analyses were run stratified by menopausal status at recruitment and, additionally, by smoking status, alcohol intake, use of exogenous hormones and use of dietary supplements. In the multivariate analyses, dietary intake of β-carotene, vitamin C and E was not associated with breast cancer risk in premenopausal [highest vs. lowest quintile: HR, 1.04 (95% CI, 0.85–1.27), 1.12 (0.92–1.36) and 1.11 (0.84–1.46), respectively] and postmenopausal women [0.93 (0.82–1.04), 0.98 (0.87–1.11) and 0.92 (0.77–1.11), respectively]. However, in postmenopausal women using exogenous hormones, high intake of β-carotene [highest vs. lowest quintile; HR 0.79 (95% CI, 0.66–0.96), 0.06] and vitamin C [0.88 (0.72–1.07), 0.05] was associated with reduced breast cancer risk. In addition, dietary β-carotene was associated with a decreased risk in postmenopausal women with high alcohol intake. Overall, dietary intake of β-carotene, vitamin C and E was not related to breast cancer risk in neither pre- nor postmenopausal women. However, in subgroups of postmenopausal women, a weak protective effect between β-carotene and vitamin E from food and breast cancer risk cannot be excluded.

Mots clés: β-Carotene; Vitamin C; Vitamin E; Breast cancer; Diet; EPIC

Domaines: Cancer

G. Nagel, J. Linseisen, C. H. Gils, P. H. Peeters, M. C. Boutron-Ruault, et al.. Dietary β-carotene, vitamin C and E intake and breast cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 2009, 119 (3), pp.753-765. ⟨10.1007/s10549-009-0444-8⟩. ⟨hal-00535375⟩